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Zach Travis is a manager of the Wolverines blog Maize n Brew. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. Read his column every week here and contact him anytime at zwtravis@gmail.com.

With Michigan locking down the commitment of Jabrill Peppers, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2014 class and one of the most exciting defensive backs to come out of high school in years, the focus for the 2014 class shifts a little further south to Woodbridge, Va.

That’s where the top prospect in the nation, Da'Shawn Hand, resides.

Hand is listed at 6-foot-5, somewhere between 250 and 260 pounds, and is unanimously considered the top defensive end in the nation. Physically, he is an impressive prospect, already possessing the size, strength and speed to make an impact in the college game. This isn't even counting the room he still has to develop, as he has the frame to potentially add 20-30 pounds in a college conditioning program while still retaining the speed and athletic ability that make him so special.

The only negative is his technique, which lacks polish. This is a normal area for improvement for most high school players because high major prospects usually have such a wealth of athletic ability that they can dominate at the high school level without having to master the technical specifics that help a player excel in the college game.

Michigan is already a major factor in Hand's recruitment. Long considered a Virginia Tech lean, Hand has been growing more and more interested in the Wolverines after a visit in March. Hand left with glowing reviews, responding to a question about Michigan posed in a radio interview in April with, “(What stood out was) Everything. The coaches, the players, the town, the professors, the academic buildings, the food ... it was cold, but I can manage that, I'm from Philly. Everything was just great about it.”

Hand is a serious student, possessing a high GPA and very interested in pursuing a degree in sports management -- a program that U-M has that was one of the more impressive parts of his visit.

This visit alone was enough to put the Wolverines in a very good position going into the summer camp season, but they also benefit from having such a great class already on the books, one very eager to sell the school to potential impact recruits.

A lot has been said about the work of recruits such as Wilton Speight, Michael Ferns, and Drake Harris in recruiting Jabrill Peppers to campus and, according to ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, Peppers is the kind of kid who will be involved in working the recruiting trail as well. Peppers and Hand already know each other, and the commitment of such a high profile recruit to Michigan's 2014 class can only help the Wolverines. With coaches limited in their ability to contact recruits because of NCAA rules, having willing and able recruiters in fellow recruits is a big advantage.

It will be some time before Hand makes a final decision, and Michigan will have to compete not only with the homestate school and presumed favorite, Virginia Tech, but also just about every other power program in the country.

However, if last weekend showed anything, it is that Michigan's coaching staff is fully capable of selling the best talent in the nation on why Michigan is the place to play college football. The Wolverines may not ultimately land Da'Shawn Hand this year, but there is no doubt that Michigan will be a serious contender.